Scan barcode
ncat999's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book more than the first, mostly due to Julia's backstory, and Quentin's circumstances at the very end. And as much as people complain about Quentin's attitude, I thought he was somewhat more mature this time around, and kinder, although far from perfect. I appreciate that being a king and living a literal fantasy life hasn't cured him of his personality faults, and that he can still feel restless and bored. Seems like a more realistic depiction of what "coming of age" is really about.
notagoose_'s review against another edition
This rating would be very different without one scene at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
andlooksaround's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
daphelba's review against another edition
4.0
So here's the thing...
I'm sort of reviewing this book as "A Review of the Series So Far".
Quentin IS too grumpy and unhappy for his own good, but he starts to address this toward the end of book two.
Quentin and other characters discuss how much they desire a world with magic, where you can wave your hands, waggle your fingers and make your dreams come true with minimal effort. They desire it so they feel they deserve it...but really, I can't think of a single person that doesn't wish they had magic at least one day a week. My house would be cleaner, I'd be smarter, and I'd find some way to make a little more money.
And then once they HAVE magic they think they are entitled to it.
I can understand this to a point. If you know something greater and easier exists, life would always seem a little grayer without the ability to have that thing, especially when you had it fully in your grasp.
I've seen the bad reviews...
...and I agree with them. Mostly.
I'm sort of reviewing this book as "A Review of the Series So Far".
Quentin IS too grumpy and unhappy for his own good, but he starts to address this toward the end of book two.
Quentin and other characters discuss how much they desire a world with magic, where you can wave your hands, waggle your fingers and make your dreams come true with minimal effort. They desire it so they feel they deserve it...but really, I can't think of a single person that doesn't wish they had magic at least one day a week. My house would be cleaner, I'd be smarter, and I'd find some way to make a little more money.
And then once they HAVE magic they think they are entitled to it.
I can understand this to a point. If you know something greater and easier exists, life would always seem a little grayer without the ability to have that thing, especially when you had it fully in your grasp.
Despite the whining, and the hard-to-like characters, I still really like this series.
Something about the way Grossman writes this fantasy world and all of his subplots like "Why?" is not an important question. The way the Fillory books were so much like C.S. Lewis' Narnia, but somehow more magical, more enticing, and I wanted them to be real so badly. The way I'm hardly sympathetic to any of his characters, yet I still want to read about them.
I'm frustrated at times. I want to smack a character. Rip out some pages. Give up. But I'm halfway through with book number three and I want to know how he pulls it all together.
lindseyannd's review
4.0
Julia’s story is what kept me going. And the ending! Such a turn of events.
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
About to pick this up! Inordinately excited considering how much I liked the last book . . .
matslaurin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I think this one is a touch better the the first book of the trilogy. They were pretty similar in style and tone, while going in very different directions with the actual plot. Grossman continues to do a nice job playing off of the ideas of some of the YA classics and twisting them and changing them until they make sense for a melancholy, angsty cast of characters.
On that note, I remember reading a lot of comments before I started the series about how the main character, Quentin, was completely unlikeable which ruined the story for readers. I haven't found that to be the case. Sure, Quentin might not be an overly righteous protagonist, but all of his flaws are pretty normal, especially given his age and his circumstances. So yes, he's selfish and a bit patronizing (among other flaws), but not any more than anyone else would be.
I really liked the development with Julia. She kind of comes (back) out of nowhere, so it was nice to fill in the blanks with her story. Really all of the characters. Everyone kind of fades in and out of Quentin's life and it's nice to be able to see them come and go with changes as they grow, too. I won't talk too much about the ending (I don't want to ruin everything), but I think it was pretty fitting for the whole cast. I guess I'll see what happens to conclude the trilogy, but it's almost guaranteed to be a clever end with the way Grossman has written everything up until now.
On that note, I remember reading a lot of comments before I started the series about how the main character, Quentin, was completely unlikeable which ruined the story for readers. I haven't found that to be the case. Sure, Quentin might not be an overly righteous protagonist, but all of his flaws are pretty normal, especially given his age and his circumstances. So yes, he's selfish and a bit patronizing (among other flaws), but not any more than anyone else would be.
I really liked the development with Julia. She kind of comes (back) out of nowhere, so it was nice to fill in the blanks with her story. Really all of the characters. Everyone kind of fades in and out of Quentin's life and it's nice to be able to see them come and go with changes as they grow, too. I won't talk too much about the ending (I don't want to ruin everything), but I think it was pretty fitting for the whole cast. I guess I'll see what happens to conclude the trilogy, but it's almost guaranteed to be a clever end with the way Grossman has written everything up until now.
em_gordon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
warden43's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5